Hey, Kids! Doodle 4 Google! Win Prizes!

Any kid who’s ever been intrigued with Google’s playful holiday logo-decorating antics can now get in the act–with the potential for winning lots of loot for the best efforts.

Appearing on the Today Show, Marisa Mayer, Google’s chief experience officer, announced the second annual contest to redesign Google's logo for a day. This year's competition encourages kids in grades K-12 to riff on the topic of "What I Wish for the World." The top four designs, along with 40 regional winners, will be featured in an exhibit at New York’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum, a partner in the project.

A panel of Google and Cooper-Hewitt judges will pick the top designs in each age group, then let the public vote on the final four. The grand prize winner will be announced on May 20, and the doodle will have pride of place on the Google homepage the next day. That’s 100 million viewers, kiddos! Not a bad line on a third grader’s resume!

But, wait! There’s more. The champion doodler will win a $15,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for the student’s school. The school district with the greatest-quality participation will also earn a $10,000 award.

So, art teachers: Here’s your chance to prove your mettle. Marshal those kids to start doodling, and win funding for construction paper and markers—not to mention respect at budget time–for the next year.

Teachers may register their class online by going to google.com/doodle4google. Registration closes March 17 and all entries must be postmarked by March 31. Further information, competition details, videos and past doodles are also available at google.com/doodle4google. Last year’s winning image, called "Up in the Clouds," was created by Grace Moon, a middle-schooler from Castro Valley, California:

Google itself has been doodling since 1999. The chief doodler at Google is Dennis Hwang, although the first Google doodle was created in honor of Halloween—out of sad little clip art images—by Google founder Sergei Brin, late one Saturday night in 1999. Here's how it happened.